Airborne Hi-Def On YouTube

ANN's Interview With Eclipse Aviation's Vern Raburn, Coming
Tuesday

In the course of ANN's
coverage of the user fee issue, we've reported on a number of
entities and individuals weighing in on the ATA's position on user
fees. Aero-News was recently able to speak, at length, with Eclipse
Aviation CEO Vern Raburn about the proposal... as well as ATA's
"unmitigated falsehoods" concerning the impact that VLJs will have
on national airspace.

"No one at ATA has ever talked with anyone at Eclipse Aviation"
concerning the Air Transport Association's assertions that VLJs
will clog the nation's airspace, requiring additional manpower and
equipment to handle the increased traffic load.

Raburn is also quite outspoken about how he views ATA's proposal
on using user fees to support the FAA -- especially given what
Raburn calls the "phenomenally terrible job the airlines are doing
in terms of serving the nation."

"The vast majority of costs are put on the system by the
airlines," Raburn tells Aero-News E-I-C Jim Campbell. "...This
whole "blip-is-a-blip" sounds good, and is a great
oversimplification, but it's sort of 'air traffic control for
dummies.'"

"And that's what the
airline industry believes most of America is," Raburn continues,
"dummies, who will continue to pay them exorbitant fees, and
continue to subsidize an industry that, by any measurement, is
an intellectually and financially bankrupt industry."

You'll be able to hear all of ANN's chat with Vern Raburn on
Tuesday, as our ANN Special Feature Aero-Cast. Be sure to check it
out!